Track Listing

1. Digital Sea
2. Open Water
3. Lost Continent
4. Night Diving
5. The Whaler
6. Kings Upon The Main

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #3840 in Music
• Released on: 2007-10-16
• Number of discs: 1

From the Artist
"We're kind of doing something that's the opposite of what a producer is supposed to do on a record--which is make everything make sense and kind of fit together--whereas this project is all about taking things apart and pushing them one way," says Teranishi. "We really wanted to try doing things our way this time around, and make this record sound the way we want it to sound, not the way it's "supposed" to sound."

"From here, we can kind of go anywhere," Kensrue adds. "I don't think anyone really knows what will be next."

About the Artist
The California-based quartet, will be releasing The Alchemy Index, a four-volume collection spread between two releases comprised of four EPs, each devoted to one of the classical elements in nature--fire, water, earth and air--with each EP sonically and thematically tailored to evoke the atmosphere inherent in its corresponding element.

Album Description
This fall marks the release of the first two volumes of the series--Fire & Water--while Earth & Air are scheduled for a spring debut. For Thrice, it's the realization of a year-long process of writing and recording, which was done primarily in the band's own studio and engineered by guitarist Teppei Teranishi, without the assistance of an outside producer.

Thrice fans will likely find the thundering strains of Fire to be the most familiar of the four EPs, with the kind of blistering riffs and captivating melodies the band has built a career upon. From the opening bombast of "Firebreather" to the towering, unforgettable "Burn the Fleet," with its Elliot Smith meets Isis vibe, Fire exhibits a Thrice who still know how to punish with decibels, and with greater force and impact than ever before.

Water, on the other hand, offers some of the most subdued textures the band have explored to date, and makes extensive use of a palette of electronic sounds, particularly for rhythms and synthesized effects. Haunting and beautiful, Water is an aural aquatic voyage as serene as it is somber, with the shimmering bliss of "Open Water" naturally coexisting with the dark, moody "The Whaler" and the groundbreaking and evocative instrumental track, "Night Diving."

Customer Reviews

Maturity
Before beginning the review, let me say that I am a musician/recording engineer, and my other favorite bands are Dream Theater, Pat Metheny Group, Mew, Frost*, Porcupine tree, etc.
I say this to emphasize the angle that I am coming from in this review.
I will write a little about the actual album, but I'm mostly going to address why I think this works for this band at this time.
There are several other straight forward reviews that do the album justice.
I hope to write to the thinker and the lover of music who is wondering about this album.

I imagine that it's very difficult for a band like Thrice to grow and change. The reason is because they started out with a very "underground" metal/punk fusion style of music.
Usually, fans in this genre are very dedicated and passionate about "staying true" to the music.
They developed a following based on this sound, and from the early EP's, to Identity Crisis, to the illusion of safety, to Artist in the Ambulance, they developed this style as far as they wanted to...and realistically, as far as they could reasonably take it without becoming stale.
These were fantastic albums that all had their own merit for the time and place that they were written.

Then came Vheissu, which was quite a departure from their previous albums...and in my opinion, it was absolutely brilliant.
Now, with the Alchemy Index, they are simply going to the next natural step, and again, it's just excellent.

The reason why these albums work so well comes in understanding where the band might be coming from.

I know as a studious musician that there are points where you have a big shift in your tastes, and your writing styles. I think it's unavoidable when you really study your instrument and your art out of love for it.
Another huge factor that influences you is major life events that change you (marriage, having a baby, etc.)
So things that you might have found amazing in the past, might suddenly lose your interest in light of something new and different.
Likewise, things that you used to "hate" can now, with a new perspective, become very appealing.
For example, 6-8 years ago, I was an elitist "indie rocker" that only listened to music that no one else has heard of. I took pride in the fact that my music was so good, and so obscure. I also only liked bands in a very narrow genre and style. Anything outside of those boundaries, I "hated."
As I've grown and matured, I can only look back and laugh at how silly I was. I've since realized that a good musician can find the value in any style of music, and can realistically and objectively analyze it.
Here's one of many examples: To date, I have several reservations about Rap. I don't have any Rap artist that I find really appealing, and I don't have hardly any Rap artists in my music collection. However, I will always listen to anything that anyone brings to the table, because there is always something to be gained, even if it's simply an insight into the state of our current culture in America. So I don't "hate" rap. I just don't have any that has grabbed my attention yet.

As I have chosen to put aside the immature "elitist" persona, and have come to be comfortable with who I am, and my tastes in music...I have opened myself up to some wonderful artists in several different genres...many of which I would have "hated" on principle in the past, without having ever listened to them!

The reason why these albums (Vheissu, and Alchemy 1-4) resonate so deeply with me, is because they follow this line of reasoning very well. Thrice's entire progression from start to now is very similar to my personal progression as a musician over the last several years, and you can hear it in their music.

Many people seem to think that with these new albums, Thrice is still the "Illusion of Safety" version of the band that is trying something new and different, but will eventually come back to their senses.
What I would argue is that they are completely different people than they were then that have grown and matured and changed, and so their writing reflects who they are now with their new and unique set of influences.

With the alchemy index, you will find traces of their roots with Fire. But even in this, there is a lyrical and musical maturity that was only still developing in the earlier albums. There are no blinding riffs to rip your face off...but after some careful listening, you will hear the fantastic use of odd time signatures and interesting tension chords that give it a deeper sense of subtle technicality.

Water is where the album really takes a new turn. Continuing where Atlantic (Vheissu) left off, Digital Sea opens up with full electronic instrumentation, and makes way for the huge mood shift after The flame deluge closes the fire album.
There are no obvious hooks on water, which makes it even more appealing on closer listening. Texture, mood, and beauty take center stage, and it's nothing short of phenomenal from start to finish.

I just recently purchased Air and Earth, and again, I am blown away.

The whole album shows a calculated departure from overt intensity, to subtle developement.
As this is a concept album of sorts, the only way to really enjoy the parts, is when they are understood with the whole.
In our 15-second-attention-span society, I can completely understand why this album would seem boring or uninspired compared to their previous work.
But that's one of the very same reasons that I am so drawn to it. I love that it takes time. It waits. It allows you to think, and compels you to dig deeper.
That's what makes concept albums so amazing. It's about the whole idea instead of the parts. Seeing how the parts fit the whole is what gives it it's value.

This kind of conceptual, subtle, beautiful, experimental work is what sets thrice apart.
There are VERY few bands that I "loved" 6-8 years ago that I still love now.
Thrice is a notable exception.
I think some people are expecting the band to express themselves in the way that they expect the band to express themselves, rather than listening to what they have to say as musicians and artists.
I create music when I want to say something...if I'm buying a band's album, then I want to listen to their perspective.

Whoa now.
No way! This is not Thrice. I will go ahead and say what nearly every reviewer has said, "Im all for artists experimenting with new sounds"....However, Im not okay with an artist jumping to a whole new genre and putting an album out under the same band name. It's an insult to their previous masterpieces. especially with an album like this. this is suicide music. dull, lifeless, and generally sad. its as if all the energy and beat has been drained from this band and the leftovers are hardly worth putting into an album!

Different. But Different Done Well Is Fine With Me
Thrice is doing what they love doing, and that certainly helps things out. When I first heard this album, I kind of had the same feelings as the people out there that are giving two star/three star ratings... I thought that Thrice had gotten in over their heads. But after a few listens I have fallen in love with the albums. I got hooked on Thrice right after Illusion of Safety was released, and I absolutely loved that album and I've loved every album since. One thing I find funny though is those people who wish that Thrice would do more stuff like AITA. That album by their own admission was their least favorite--they felt rushed and didn't really like what they had produced. Honestly, I would not say that it's going to be a "timeless masterpiece" but it is still great in its own right in terms of songs that I find myself humming/singing on a regular basis and lyrics that are just incredible (on the lyrics note, it very much helps to be familiar with the Bible to understand what they're trying to say).

Anyway, in the end, it's an album that had to grow on me first, but it was one that will not be getting old anytime soon. I like those better than the All American Rejects/Fall Out Boy type bands that are fun to listen to but get old before the radio starts playing their songs. The end.